"Everyone, please open your phones. Go to your chat list and tap a contact..." Athena instructed after thanking the young man and gesturing for him to return to his seat.
"Now, check the contact’s name. Did you see any phone number right beneath it?"
A chorus of "no" and shaking heads echoed throughout the room. Ewan even checked his own phone.
"But look at mine..." Athena said, pointing at the projector board. "My number is right there underneath. As you all can see, that obviously doesn’t happen! But Ewan was so desperate to see me painted as unfit to be a mother that he believed a simple design page that could easily be created using any graphic design app."
Athena chuckled softly, shaking her head in disbelief. "But that’s not all."
Ewan and Fiona immediately perked up as Athena, now in possession of Fiona’s phone, navigated past the pictures and headed straight for the real chat list.
Panic surged within Fiona, prompting her to leap to her feet. "Stop her!" She shouted, her eyes flashing wildly. "She’s invading my privacy!"
Alfonso, stoking the flames of chaos, turned to Elder Timothy, who seemed more curious than concerned about what Athena was uncovering in Fiona’s phone. "Are you really not going to intervene, Chief? Isn’t this against our rules and regulations regarding phone privacy?"
Elder Timothy huffed in annoyance, commanding Athena to halt her actions. "What are you searching for, Doctor Athena?"
"I’m looking for who sent the real pictures..." Athena replied, shrugging her shoulders. She unplugged Fiona’s phone from the laptop and handed it to the latter; as Fiona had surged forward earlier, totally prepared to fight to have her phone back before Athena went through it.
"However..." Athena continued as Fiona returned to her seat, "I came prepared." Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on NovᴇlFɪre.ɴet
Fiona staggered slightly at this declaration, before sinking into her chair forlornly.
Meanwhile, Ewan watched her intently, clenching and unclenching his fists. Fiona had truly played him for a fool. What else had she lied about?
During the interval, Athena reached into her bag and pulled out another Iphone.
Fiona’s jaw dropped in shock as she recognized it. How had Athena gotten her hands on that? It should be with Morgan!
"This is Lana’s phone. Lana was a friend of Fiona’s. I’m sure many of you know Lana and Zira, the two friends of Fiona, who mysteriously died before they could be taken to prison— for stealing Old Mr. Thorne’s necklace and attempting to poison me."
Echoes of acknowledgment rippled through the hall.
Fiona darted her eyes around, searching for a way to escape, but there was none. She inhaled deeply to calm herself and mask her agitation, but it wasn’t working. She looked to Ewan for comfort as he had done earlier, but he was regarding her with suspicion.
So, she resorted to scratching her inner palm intensely, indifferent to the pain that rose up consequentially. As a matter of fact, it oddly helped her regain some composure.
Yet, her heart pounded as Athena connected the phone to the system.
Without wasting any time, Athena accessed the chat list. Fiona’s chat was pinned, saved under the name "Arrogant Bitch Fiona."
Instead of directing her fury at a deceased person, Fiona focused on the gathered crowd, silently praying that her late friend had deleted any incriminating texts from the phone. But luck was not on her side today.
"Oh, what do we have here..." Athena cooed, opening the chat. "It seems there’s additional evidence..." She said, highlighting the chat conversation on the screen.
Lana: "Fiona, don’t you think poisoning Athena is going too far? She’s treating your mother, remember?"
Fiona: "She and my mother can go to hell. My men will give you the poison. Hurry up if you want my Louis Vuitton bag."
"Well, it looks like our dear Fiona was also behind the poisoning scheme." Athena remarked with feigned surprise, but Ewan could easily see the sly smile curling her lips. Of course, she had known all along!
Was that why she had looked at him with pity during the party? Anger burned within him, and the throbbing in his head intensified. Fiona... he ground his teeth in fury, and Fiona shrank slightly at the deathly growl that emanated from his throat.
But she couldn’t leave her seat; the council rules forbade it. There was no escape from this nightmare.
"Well, that aside, we’re looking for some pictures..." Athena said nonchalantly, scrolling through the chats as if the poisoning discussion were inconsequential.
While the hall buzzed with conversation...
Margaret was astounded too, unable to fathom that her daughter might want her dead as well. Was Alfonso aware of this?
Moments later, the incriminating pictures with chats materialized.
Lana: "Fiona, guess who I just saw at the hotshot restaurant?"
Lana: "Your fiancé. He’s having dinner with Athena! Are you aware?"
Fiona: "Would I have allowed it if I were aware?"
Lana: "What will you do now? They look cozy."
Fiona: "I’ll pretend to commit suicide, and he will come back. Then you will deal with that slut. Mess up her face, and make sure she’s never called beautiful again. Hire thugs if you have to."
Lana: "Fine. Consider it done."
"Wow, our dear Fiona wasn’t truly suicidal as she claimed? Oops..." Athena tilted her head, locking eyes with Fiona, who shot up from her seat, hands trembling.
"It’s a lie! This was fabricated!"
But her weak protests were met with laughter from the audience.
"Fabricated? You must be joking!" Someone called from the crowd. "Didn’t you see the phone or the clarity of the evidence?"
"Sit down now! Don’t disgrace yourself further!" Ewan growled through gritted teeth.
Fiona had no choice but to comply, sinking back into her chair, defeated. But Athena was just getting started.
"So, she orchestrated the pictures and the poisoning, as you can all see."
Murmurs of affirmation spread through the crowd.
"Now, onto Ewan’s next point. He mentioned hearing Kathleen’s voice over the phone..." Athena paused, shaking her head. "This man and his fiancée are clearly disturbed."
She turned to her children, ignoring Ewan’s heated glare. "Look at my daughter. Does she strike you as someone capable of hacking or operating a system? Based on the evidence I’ve presented, what do you think of Ewan’s claims?"